Steven Karlson

Steven E. Karlson is a co-founder and General Partner of Windspeed Ventures, a Massachusetts-based venture capital firm focused on startup, seed, and early-stage financing of software and technology companies. He brings more than a decade of high-technology marketing experience to the firm's investing work.

Before Windspeed, Karlson joined from Primeon, Inc., where he ran overall marketing for the software re-engineering firm. Earlier, he was a co-founder and Vice President of Marketing at Accordance Corporation, a provider of carrier-scale email server infrastructure; Accordance merged with Software.com in 1996 and later with Phone.com in 2000 to become OpenWave. His earlier career included a director role at Microsystems Software (network and office-productivity software) and roughly six years in product management at Data General Corporation.

Karlson has also been active on portfolio boards. He has served as a Director of Zipit Wireless and previously as a Director of VistaPrint Limited (NASDAQ: VPRT), which was renamed Cimpress in 2014.

He holds an MBA from Carnegie Mellon University and a BS in Electrical Engineering from Brown University. His partners at Windspeed include Managing Partner John W. Bullock and General Partner and Chairman Daniel H. Bathon, Jr.

• Invests at the startup, seed, and early stage, concentrating on software technology companies — cloud platforms, infrastructure, IoT, and critical communications software.
• Looks for companies combining "a strong management team, technical differentiation in a growth market opportunity and flexibility," favoring disruptive technologies aimed at emerging markets.
• Emphasizes hands-on, active partnership beyond capital — providing guidance as companies react to market conditions and leveraging the firm's network; one portfolio CEO credited Windspeed with "significant guidance as we react to market conditions."
• Also manages equity portfolios on behalf of institutional investors, with a focus on active engagement and strategic oversight of early-stage software ventures.